A couple from Ontario is trading their 4-bedroom house for a French castle.

A young couple from Fergus, Ontario, decided to share their unusual house-hunting experience with CTV News after they moved into a chateau in France.

Steven and Sarah Cole fell in love with France after several visits, but they always considered life there just a dream. After several months of online searching and viewing hundreds of properties, that dream became a reality. Their 2,400 square foot home in Fergus had four bedrooms and was situated on a three-quarter acre lot. The town, with a population of about 20,000, is located approximately 20 minutes from Guelph.

“It was definitely a big house for two people, but we love having guests,” said Steven. Few knew that their entertaining space would become much larger. “After all, a chateau comes up in your search, and you find that in the crazy Canadian market, it becomes available,” said Sarah.

The chateau occupies 37 acres of land, which is significantly different from the three-quarters of an acre that the couple had in Fergus, Ontario. In 2021, they found the chateau listed for sale in the town of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Dordogne, France. The offer surprised them. "It wasn't just the size, but the availability of property here was very appealing," said Steven.

So, Sarah quit her corporate job in Kitchener, and they are about to start their fairytale. "We moved from three-quarters of an acre in Fergus to 37 acres of land in the southwest of France," said Steven, adding that lawn care now takes him six hours. The chateau they currently live in is over 6,300 square feet, which is a significant step up from their previous home in Fergus.

The couple says this shows how inaccessible the Canadian housing market can be. "Especially at a time when the market was so high, if we sold the chateau now, we probably wouldn't be able to return to Fergus," said Steven. This opinion is shared by real estate agent Shawn Ramotor from the Waterloo region with Royal LePage Wolle Realty. "If you don't plan to sell and move into rental housing, or if you're retiring, or leaving the country for any reason, the longer you stay out of ownership in this market, the harder it becomes to get back in," Ramotor said.

In addition to being their home, the couple has also turned the chateau into a business that invites people to be creative. They created a company called Manor & Maker, which offers people the opportunity to come to their home and engage in creative activities, especially in the arts. People can also come to the chateau for various events. "Our social calendar has become much busier than ever," said Sarah. "We are now our own bosses; our life is our business," said Stephen. However, they acknowledge that they work much more than ever before. So, while they can live like kings, they certainly deserve that life.